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While Tottenham Hotspur might still be somewhat short of possessing the sort of water-tight defense that’s been absenct in N17 for a small lifetime now, this season’s rearguard has drew refreshing praise from the Lilywhites’ support.

Certainly, when you view Spurs’ back four from an individual perspective, there’s plenty to be cheerful about during a campaign that still sees them in with a shout of attaining both Champions League qualification as well as Europa League glory.

The performances of those at the other end of the pitch – needless to say dominated by the box-office appeal of Gareth Bale – have naturally been given the bulk of the praise as Spurs have evolved under Andre Villas-Boas, with both the Welshman, Aaron Lennon and Mousa Dembele generally regarded as three of the side’s outstanding performers.

Although while Bale might be a shoo-in for the PFA Team of the Year, he might not be the only Spurs player set to make it into the starting XI. Indeed, quite whether he does make the cut remains to be seen, but the chances are Belgian stopper Jan Vertonghen might not be a million miles away from receiving some well-earned recognition at the end of the season.

The former-Ajax man has been the jewel in the crowd of Villas-Boas’ back four, but although he might be the only one to scoop much in the way of individual recognition, he’s been backed up by superb lieutenants along the way.

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In Steven Caulker and most notably Michael Dawson, the Lilywhites have been lucky enough to possess a pair of central defenders that haven’t just performed magnificently when brought into the side, but a duo that have surpassed all expectations that fans may have bestowed at the start of the season, Dawson – already a fan favourite at White Hart Lane – has done especially well to come back from the cold and he’s been quite rightly singled out for his fair share of praise in recent weeks.

Moving out wide, while Kyle Walker hasn’t enjoyed a season anything like his breakthrough one last term, but he’s still regarded as one of the better right-backs in the country and following Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s return at the turn of the year, Villas-Boas was able to call upon one of the classiest left-backs in the Premier League.

And just in case their outfield defensive unit isn’t enough, Tottenham are lucky enough to possess a man widely regarded as one of the best in between the sticks in Hugo Lloris.

Throw in the veteran nous of William Gallas and the fact that Younes Kaboul is now only a matter of weeks away from full fitness, then you would have thought that positivity should be in abundance at White Hart Lane from a defensive perspective.

Yet for a defense that seems to attract such praise from an individual viewing, why is it as a collective they still continue to represent such a leaky and often unreliable outfit?

Despite currently sitting fourth in the table, having shipped 37 goals and counting so far this campaign, they currently possess the worst defensive record in the Premier League’s top six. To put that into perspective, that’s only two less than Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, who can lay claim to the unenviable statistic of having the worst record at the back out of 10 of the league’s top 11 clubs.

But it’s when you consider the two teams’ relative targets, that Spurs’ defensive issues seem to illuminate their current plight. Because where as Liverpool are very much still a side in transition, Tottenham are one looking to qualify for Champions League football. And their defensive record should read more in touch with those adjacent to them in the table, rather than a side some nine points behind.

Rafa Benitez’s Chelsea may well currently sit just the one point in front of Spurs with a game in hand, but as well as scoring seven more goals than the Lilywhites, they’ve also managed to concede seven less aswell.

Similarly with their North London rivals, while Arsenal came out of the recent 2-1 derby day defeat with a slew of headlines seemingly writing their back four’s obituary, they have in fact managed to ship five less goals than Villas-Boas’ side. If the critique aimed at Arsene Wenger’s back four was too fierce, than the praise that’s surrounded Spurs’ back four has certainly been a little too overzealous.

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In recent weeks, the likes of Vertonghen and Caulker have perhaps dropped off in form as the season has gone on and with both of Spurs’ full-backs continuing to look enigmatic, perhaps it’s no surprise that Tottenham are looking a little shaky as we head-into the season’s run-in.

Although this isn’t something that has happened over night and you don’t rack up a record of having conceded more goals in the 90th minute and beyond than anyone else in the league, after a few games of indifferent form.

Despite Villas-Boas claiming to have solved Spurs’ last minute woes, the side still look vulnerable in a game’s closing stages and it seems staggering to think that a side who have conceded less shots per game (9.7) than anyone else in the Premier League, can sit with such an inferior defensive record as to that of their peers.

Concentration may not be an attribute as quantifiable to the cause as an aerial presence or esteemed technical skill, but judging by the disparity that Spurs possess defensively with those around them in the table, it could well be something that’s continuing to cause serious damage to their hopes an aspirations this season.

Off the bat, it might seem a ridiculous notion that Wayne Rooney is in any kind of trouble on the pitch. He’s England’s best player, was Manchester United’s leading light up until this past summer, and carries most of the load when the national team head off into the great unknowns of international competition.

Rooney’s injury—one that could have been much more severe—has allowed Alex Ferguson to circumvent those obvious selection headaches when all his strikers are fit. The problem is, are they all firing?

Wayne Rooney was once spoken about in the same breath as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, with many proclaiming that England’s finest was better than what the rest of the world were able to put forward. Rooney had power and aggression in his game, qualities that were equally comparable to those two stand-out figures in Spain. But those comparisons aren’t fair now and they weren’t fair then. What is obvious, though, is that Rooney is head and shoulders above the players who have been around the England setup for the past few years.

Wayne Rooney seems to flutter in and out of each season, with moments of brilliance punctuated by sloppy or wasteful play and, of course, that self-destruct button. His goal scoring exploits are not always as spectacular as we know it can be, with the goal against Barcelona in the Champions League final with the backdrop of Wembley being the true showcase one of England’s most gifted players. But that’s the problem, we haven’t seen it enough, while Messi and Ronaldo continue to reach milestones and defy belief.

The season opener against Everton saw the disappointing side of Rooney, as Manchester United failed to overcome a team who should be a level or two below the 19-time league champions. It’s games like that where we see the greats of the game shine through, even when the rest of their team is performing poorly. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen United’s number 10 light up patches of darkness for his team on a regular basis.

With the arrival of Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa this summer, it looks as though Rooney finally has the surrounding cast to support him: a late address of the issues raised by the player in that 2010 statement. But are they a supporting cast to Rooney, or has Rooney been pushed down a level onto the second tier?

In van Persie, United have one of the most technically gifted players in Europe. His scoring record does most of the talking, but it’s his brilliance—consistent brilliance—that should separate him from Rooney. A number of years ago, most would have laughed off the idea that van Persie is a better footballer than Rooney. Fair enough, but were those dismissals based on the Dutchman’s lack of trophies, the fact Arsenal hadn’t made a successful charge on the league title for a number of years, his injuries, or was it something a little closer to home? Perhaps players like van Persie represented a real threat to Rooney’s position as the jewel in England’s crown; the foremost player for the country representing one of the most successful teams in the league.

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But now those fears are right on the doorstep for Rooney. Alex Ferguson would surely be mad to bench van Persie upon Rooney’s return from injury. The Dutchman’s form almost guarantees goals, without any need for adjusting to his new team. Does Rooney really guarantee anything positive? And I’m talking about guarantees you get from players like Messi or Xavi or now van Persie? If not, that’s the problem. When does he get out of this “slump” as a very good player and become the great player that he was projected to be as a teenager? What has England really seen from him on the international stage, what has United seen from him when things start to get a little blurry in European competition? Is it any coincidence that those stories of a move away from United surfaced over the last few weeks (how accurate they are is a whole other story).

Maybe all will be well. Maybe Rooney will rise to the challenge of a new king at Old Trafford and become the player who reaches a consistent level of excellence. He can score the goals, certainly, but has he really been the driving force for United since that outstanding season in 2009/10? That is the Rooney we want to see more of, and perhaps his versatility will shine through, too; there is a spot that needs addressing in the midfield. For Rooney, he needs to turn those hopes and promises into guarantees.

Manchester City’s pursuit of AS Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi has received a blow with his coach Zdenek Zeman declaring his desire to hold onto his star man.

Roberto Mancini reportedly attempted to bring the midfielder to the Premier League during the summer, but was unable to complete a deal.

It has been speculated that the Italian international is frustrated by life under his new manager, after being deployed out of position, which has prompted rumours that the Sky Blues may return with a big money offer.

However, Zeman believes such speculation is nonsense and that his vice-captain is staying put:

“I’ve never had problems with De Rossi, I don’t know who spread this voices, certainly not me, and I think not even Daniele.” He is quoted by SkySports.

French giants Paris Saint-Germain are also thought to be interested in the 29-year-old, but Zeman ruled out a potential sale to the Ligue 1 outfit:

“Ancelotti (PSG’s manager) wants De Rossi? Daniele is wanted by many, not only by the PSG, he has made an important career, he plays for the national team, I think he could help many teams.

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“However, he is staying at AS Roma.”

De Rossi was key part of the Italian team who finished runners up during EURO 2012.

After the international break, The Championship returned with a bang at the weekend with some great games, and the inevitable surprise result thrown into the mix.  There’s little rest for the 24 clubs though, as a busy week of action continues with a set of midweek fixtures.  Here we look at three key games..

Wolves v Bolton

This was a Premier League fixture merely six months ago, but it is the home side who look far more suitably equipped for an instant return to the top flight.  Having lost key players Matt Jarvis and Steven Fletcher at the back end of August, Wolves have regrouped well and currently sit inside the top six. Stale Solbakken will be looking for a response to last weekend’s defeat at Huddersfield, however, and the long term concern is whether Wolves have enough ammunition up front to sustain a serious promotion push.

As for Bolton, they are going through something of a transitional period following the sacking of Owen Coyle.  Caretaker manager Jimmy Phiilips oversaw a rousing comeback at the weekend to defeat Bristol City 3-2, a result which will have provided a much needed and timely confidence boost.   Unlike Wolves, Bolton haven’t been severely depleted since relegation, and players like Kevin Davies, Martin Petrov and Chris Eagles are all capable of spearheading a Bolton charge.  Whether they can begin that charge at Molineux is tough to answer, but I am tipping the Trotters to upset the form guide somewhat and sneak a crucial three points.  1-2

Leicester v Brighton

After an indifferent start, Leicester have embarked on a fine run of form that has culminated in the Foxes moving to the top of The Championship.  Although their five game winning streak was halted at Birmingham on Saturday, salvaging a late draw was enough to see Leicester hit the summit, and Pearson will be hoping that the momentum can continue.  Whilst being a little inconsistent away from home, Leicester have been in dominant mood at the King Power Stadium, winning all five of their Championship home fixtures to date.  That kind of form will form the bedrock to any promotion push.

Brighton have stuttered recently, and Saturday’s home defeat against Middlesbrough, saw the club slide out of the play off places.  Whilst Brighton are visually pleasing to watch, Boro weren’t the first side to nick a goal on the break and then successfully defend the advantage through to full time, indicating that Brighton are struggling to break down their opponents.  In one way, it is a testament to the success of Gus Poyet’s side that opponents feel the need to operate so defensively against Brighton, but on the other hand, it is costing them crucial points.  Leicester are good at home, but Brighton are in need of a positive result, and may well get one, thus ending Leicester’s 100% home record in the process.  1-1

Peterborough v Huddersfield

Two clubs at polar ends of the Championship table meet at London Road.  Both sides need the points for differing reasons, Peterborough desperately need to kick start their campaign if they are to have any hope of avoiding a return to League One.  Nine defeats out of eleven sees Darren Ferguson’s side rooted to the foot of the table, and the more they lose, the more they will be cut adrift.  At present, Posh are just about clinging on, thanks largely to the failings of Ipswich, but the results need to start coming quickly, especially at home where Peterborough are yet to pick up even a solitary point.

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Huddersfield have probably been the surprise package this season after last year’s promotion and the momentum gained from that achievement has been carried through into the early stages of this campaign.  The loan signing of Jermaine Beckford looks a shrewd bit of business by Simon Grayson, and with his virtually guaranteed supply of goals, Huddersfield will be a match for anyone.  Away from home, The Terriers have enjoyed great success, already taking maximum points from tricky away grounds such as Sheffield Wednseday, Blackpool and Birmingham, and they will be confident of adding Peterborough to that list of casualties.  1-3

Shaun Derry is keen to move on from Queens Park Rangers after dropping down the pecking order at the club.

Derry captained the team and made 28 appearances for Rangers last year, but no longer figures in the club’s plans after Mark Hughes’s summer spending spree.

At 34 Derry is running out of time to optimise his career and said to Open All Rs that he will be looking for regular football: “I need to be playing football and will try to play at some place.”

Competition for places is fierce in central midfield for the London outfit. Alejandro Faurlin and Esteban Granero were favoured in that position against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. Stephane Mbia and Samba Diakite are also comfortable in that position as the ex-Crystal Palace man faces a struggle to even make the substitute’s bench for the R’s.

It was thought that many of Rangers fringe players would be sent out on loan once the Football League emergency loan window opened but so far no moves have materialised.

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The hope will be that Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers will finally tame Mario Balotelli and bring the best out of the Italian for an entire season. That hope was held in the past by Manchester City and AC Milan, both aware of the undoubted talent in the striker but unable to convince themselves that the headache was worth a reward that wasn’t guaranteed.

Though Balotelli has a good record in front of goal for Milan, the club have made no secret of their intention to sell this summer. Liverpool’s bid and interest has come late– and that’s if we’re to believe Rodgers’ statement that Balotelli was “categorically” no on the agenda. That they’ve been unrivalled in their advances for Balotelli should be an indicator as to how volatile the forward can be. There is upside, obviously. But few clubs have deemed him worth the gamble.

Whichever way you cut it, £16 million is a bargain fee for a striker with so much experience, potential and current ability. Balotelli’s baggage is well known and that wackiness and unpredictable nature looks set to be warmly welcomed back to the Premier League. If Liverpool and Rodgers strike gold, they’ll easily be able to forget the goals that have been lost following Luis Suarez’s departure to Barcelona. Yes, the style of play is different; Suarez is a livewire that looks to control the game from all areas of the pitch, whereas Balotelli can appear subdued for the majority before providing a match-winner in spectacular fashion.

There is nothing that really needs to be said about Balotelli acclimatising to the Premier League. Regardless of whether he’s been involved in English football before, Balotelli is that rare breed of footballer that can seamlessly slot into any league, no matter its reputation; his unwavering confidence in his own abilities providing the platform for him to succeed.

It’s been clear that Liverpool have needed another striker since Suarez’s sale became a talking point during the World Cup. I’m not for following the line of thinking that dictates that in order to compete successfully in the Champions League you need a wide assortment of strikers. There are plenty of top clubs who compete in UEFA’s premier club competition with far less than four senior strikers.

But Liverpool only have Daniel Sturridge to turn to this summer. There’s a lot of romance attached to Rickie Lambert’s move from Southampton to Anfield, but the 32-year-old is not good enough by a long way to play anything more than a reliever.

Liverpool are simply taking advantage of the availability of a striker that can offer far, far more than, say, Wilfried Bony. The Swansea forward isn’t the headache (and understatement, of course) the Italian can be, but his talents fall well short of what Balotelli can produce. The fees, with Swansea now open to negotiating Bony’s sale, would be in the same ballpark.

Liverpool can also find a lot of comfort in Balotelli’s age. Having recently turned 24, Balotelli has the kind of sell-on value that will see the club recoup their £16 million investment. Naturally the club will need a buyer if that situation comes to pass, but for arguments sake, there should be no worry about recording a future loss in their signing of the striker.

With Balotelli, it doesn’t appear as straightforward as simply having a troubled forward find a manager who can guide him away from his current controversial nature. Balotelli is naturally the kind of person who likes the attention, whether it be in his post-match interviews or his driving of camouflaged Bentleys. Top managers at three major European clubs have been unable to force the Italian to mature; there is no guarantee Rodgers will finally be able to do so.

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But at only £16 million and the upside so rewarding, there is no obvious danger in Liverpool completing a deal for Balotelli.

Unless he changes his ways, sooner or later the biggest clubs around Europe will collectively decide that they’ve had enough. Fortunately for the Italian international, that time hasn’t come yet.

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In just under a week, Chelsea the current European Champions will fly to Monaco to face the Europa League Champions, Atletico Madrid, with both teams having to take time out of a full list of fixtures to do so. The fixtures that would have fallen the weekend of the Super Cup have to be rearranged for both teams with Chelsea forced to play the middle of this week for the game against Reading.

Whilst a midweek game is not really a big game changer for clubs, the fact that Chelsea have to fly to Monaco for a fixture many some deem to be pointless is something that concerns many at the club. Whilst Uefa may bill the fixture as somewhat of an honour it is not exactly deemed to be so by the majority of people in the game – Jose Mourinho left both Porto and Inter before the Super Cups were played following winning the Champions League at both – for a man who is so set on collecting sets of trophies he calls himself the Only One, it speaks volumes about how the match is viewed.

Of course the governing bodies in football bill the match as the best against the best and a showpiece of the ‘beautiful game’ and for us mere mortals to discount the value of the game would show exactly how little we really understand about the sport – mind you we are the little people who have been advocating for goal line technology for years whilst the big guns drag their heels, but then again what do we know?

Imagine if one of Chelsea’s players were to get injured during the game or a serious incident was to occur – you couldn’t really blame either manager if they decided to play less than what we would see as their first team. Chelsea have to face Newcastle this weekend before the Super Cup on Friday evening and then have an international break before their next fixture on the 15th of September.

It is pretty clear which of those games both Chelsea and Atletico would want to win – their league games are paramount, and having to rearrange fixtures to fit in with the Super Cup is not exactly what either club really want. In addition to the Super Cup, Chelsea have also had to rearrange their fixture against Southampton because of the World Club Championship in the not exactly next door Japan – again not exactly a trophy that will take pride of place in their hefty trophy cabinet and one which will fall just as the Champions League is hotting up to boot.

After going back to the summit of the Premier League for the first time in a very long time, Chelsea are getting a taste of being winners again and will not want excessive and unnecessary traveling getting in the way. Despite the fixtures being re arranged, they still have to play extra games and their already full schedule just expands even further.

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Uefa may feel that such competitions add to the value of the game – and they do – by lining their pockets. For the clubs involved it is not exactly their highlight of the season and is quite frankly viewed as an unnecessary bother and one a club wishes they were not a part of.

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Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala are preparing to swoop in for Nemanja Vidic and lure the towering centre-back away from the Premier League with a huge 250k-per-week contract offer, according to the Daily Mail.

Rumours have been circulating over the Serbian’s future at Manchester United and the player has been linked with a move to either Juventus or Barcelona this January.

Although considered a key player at Old Trafford, the defender’s future at the club has been in question since his second serious knee injury within the last year, and Ferguson has shown interest in signing Fulham’s Brede Hangeland, who is of a similar mould to the Serbian international.

It has been reported that United are expecting a £33 million bid for Vidic from Anzhi to bring him back to the Russian League. Vidic is currently sidelined after aggravating his previous injury to his cruciate knee ligament against Liverpool at the start of the season, however the centre-back is expected to return to fitness by the start of January, meaning he would be immediately available for Anzhi should the deal go through.

Nemanja Vidic’s agent Silvano Martina has previously played down talks of a move away from the Premier League.

“Vidic is not playing at this time because he`s had surgery, so he`s only thinking about his recovery and not about the transfer market.

Vidic is already part of a top club and there are no negotiations with Juventus or Barcelona” he added.

A statement is yet to be made about a potential return to the Russian League. Anzhi’s huge contract offer to Vidic may be tempting, but will not make the defender the club’s top earner. Cameroon international Samuel Eto’o is currently on a 350k-per-week deal for the Russian big spenders.

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Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood believes that Roberto Soldado will soon reverse his woeful run of form.

The 28-year-old striker was signed from Valencia last summer in a then club record £26m deal and was widely tipped to be the man to provide the goalscoring threat from a central attacking role that Spurs had been missing for some time.

However, despite having a good record in Spain, Soldado has struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League.

Even though he has been a regular starter for much of the season, the front-man has managed just five goals, with only one coming from open play.

This has led to rumours that Sherwood is growing frustrated with his displays, talk that has been further fuelled by Emmanuel Adebayor’s emergence as the club’s top forward.

However, the Spurs chief feels that Soldado will soon get the goal he needs – which will be his first of 2014 – and that the floodgates will open when he is at full confidence:

“We’re waiting for him to take one and then hopefully the confidence will start flooding back for him,” he is quoted by the Daily Star.

“He’s getting the opportunities to score but he just needs to take one.

“He’s fine, he trains well and he’s a good lad who works hard.

“Yes, he puts them away in training, but as I say it’s all about scoring on the big stage and we know he can do it, we’ve seen him do it over the years so hopefully he’ll finish one soon.

“Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later that he puts one in the net.

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“He just needs to take one. It happens, strikers have a lull at times and Robbie needs to get out of this one.”

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Fulham boss Martin Jol is reportedly interested in signing Ipswich Town’s transfer-listed winger Jay Emmanuel-Thomas.

Tractor Boys chief Mick McCarthy revealed last month that the 22-year-old, who has scored eight goals in 70 games since joining the club from Arsenal and has a year remaining on his current deal, could leave on a free transfer as he looks to free up some space on the Portman Road wage bill for a summer squad rebuilding job.

It is being suggested that Jol will make a move to give Emmanuel-Thomas a chance to prove himself in the Premier League, with a reported Craven Cottage source claiming that the Dutch tactician has already discussed a summer transfer for the player.

The source was quoted in the East Anglian Daily Times as saying: “Fulham like the look of Jay and are considering making a move, although they would not be prepared to pay a fee.

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“He has been in and out of the Ipswich team but, with the extra finances clubs like Fulham have from being in the Premier League, they would be prepared to take a chance on a player who they feel can turn a game.”